Ephesians 2:12-22
The first reading for our daily Mass lectionary continues to make its way through St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. This letter is one of the richest and most beautiful of all St. Paul’s letters. We will be hearing from this letter the rest of this week and the next.
In the first chapter, Paul lays out the spiritual blessings in Christ (1:3 – 14). From all eternity, we have been chosen by Christ for adoption as children of God through Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world. We have redemption in his blood and the forgiveness of sins. God has lavished his grace upon us. We have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who guarantees our inheritance.
In the first chapter, Paul offers a prayer that the Church will receive wisdom and revelation to truly know God. And he prays that they will know the surpassing power of God – the same mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated him above every ruler, authority, and power in the universe.
This brings us to chapter 2 where Paul describes the former condition of believers. Paul says that they were physically alive, but spiritually dead in trespass and sins, following the ways of the world and dark spiritual forces. God – who is rich in love and mercy – made believers alive in Christ, raising them up and seating them with Him in the heavenly realms.
Paul then reminds the Ephesians – a nice summary of the gospel: “For by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” In other words, you enter God’s family by God’s gift. You cannot earn God’s love or your way into His family.
Once in God’s family, however, you must grow up. Paul says believers are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance.
Today, we hear that God’s family includes both Jews and Gentiles – the two groups are made into one new humanity. Both groups – Jew and Gentile – have access to the Father by one Spirit. Both are built into a spiritual dwelling place of God by the Spirit. It is a house built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. In short, Paul presents a grand vision of God’s eternal will and what He has in store for those who love Him. 🙂
~St. Thérèse, pray for us!